Hi everyone, I am putting this video of our performing at UNESCO Headquarter Hall concert where I was part as a leading performer and conductor, and I hope it will give some perspectives and thoughts that we could discuss, we did this project a couple times but this is the best video representation yet.
Music, Poetry, Spirituality, Art
600th anniversary of Azerbaijani poet Nasimi’s death was marked at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris on 18 May 2017. The anniversary event combines official speeches and a concert-ballet, dedicated to poet’s life. The concert is based on music composed by famous Azerbaijani composer and pianist, UNESCO Artist for Peace and People’s Artist of Azerbaijan, Firangiz Alizade, who is also the artistic director of the concert-ballet.
Wow Allahyar this is amazing. Could you give us more context on what is happening in the story of what is being presented. The dancers were really incredible and I always find that there is considerable power in the interpretation of music through dance. Were you conducting this performance?
Thank you Dr. Yun,
I will definitely write about the piece in the context.
https://en.unesco.org/events/celebration-cultural-evening-dedicated-600th-anniversary-death-poet-and-philosopher-nassimi
https://www.nasimifestival.live/en/about/ (This link is a little bit about Nasimi himself yet)
I am performing in the music and leading/conducting inside, it is not the conventional way of conducting as a conductor of the piece, I am keeping all musicians the singer and the dancers together while playing and I have the instrumental score and libretto and the traditional improvisational singing part’s guides (Mugam) all tight together, and the hardest thing is you must not show that to the audience in order do not disturb the feeling of the wholeness and togetherness of the piece and while “What is really going on” (Small, 1998) without pointing the conductor as a “leader”, in terms of the performance, (It is about “US” not about”I”) . However, it can be done through conventional conducting but in the other venue and philosophy not in this case.
Thank you for sharing this important performance with us. I was watching as you conducted with shakes of the head and quietly moved into positions for playing the various percussion pieces. This is one type of conducting I am familiar with as I have used it many times in concerts that I have been directing-performing. It is wonderful to be a part of the whole process, not just authoritatively telling people, “What to do and How to do it” as Small says.
Are the white and black dressed dancers representing angels and demons?